Tendinitis, Tendinosis, Tendinopathy

Do I have Tendinitis, Tendinosis, or Tendinopathy?

How do you know if the pain you are feeling is going to resolve itself with a little patience and rest, or if waiting to get treatment could be making things worse?

The question of letting your body fix itself or getting it help is one that we all face at some point in our lives. Here are some guidelines that may prevent further injury and save you some time, money, and effort.

Sprain and Strains

If you are able to identify a specific injury that caused your condition, your pain is likely due to the inflammation process, which would be classified as a simple sprain or strain. “Sprain” is the term we use when you overstress a joint, whereas a “strain” refers to a muscle/tendon injury. This post is intended to help you understand the muscle/tendon strain well enough to know just what to do.

Muscle strains are often caused by overstressing the musculotendinous junction. The result of a strain is an inflammation, which is a normal part of your body’s healing process. If this inflammation does not go away in 10-21 days then you are not recovering normally and you should seek medical help to determine if you have something more serious, like Tendonitis.

Tendinitis, Tendinosis, Tendinopathy

Tendinitis is a condition that can be treated with physical therapy, the treatments we employ can quickly resolve your pain and immobility and return you to full function and mobility.

Signs of Tendinitis:

Inflammation of tendon

Localized pain

Swelling

Warmth

Redness

When left untreated, however, tendinitis can easily turn into “tendinosis” which is a more severe condition with a longer recovery time and potentially permanent physical repercussions.

Signs of Tendinosis:

Calcification of tendon/muscle unit

Failure to heal the tissue

Can lead to ruptures of tendons

Lumps forming along the injured tendon

Tendinitis is less severe than Tendinosis and can be treated within several weeks. However, chronic Tendinitis can lead to Tendinosis, which can take up to several months to treat! When Tendinosis is left untreated and unresolved, it can deteriorate and become a more severe condition called Tendinopathy.

Signs of Tendinopathy:

Tendinopathy is the breakdown or tearing of the tendon. When tendinopathy occurs, there is a strong chance that the best solution is a surgical intervention to repair the broken tissue.

I hope that you have found this article informative. If you have suffered a sprain or a strain and are somewhere along the process to recovery, or if the problem has been becoming more painful, we can help you get back to full mobility and function.